Vegetable, or Candy?

If your kids are like most kids, getting them to eat vegetables isn’t quite as easy as getting  them to eat candy. Can you imagine offering them vegetables as a reward for finishing their chore list for the week? Have they ever said, “Would you please, please, PLEASE let me bring vegetables to the class Halloween party?” Not the most likely scenario, right?

Salt roasted beets, beet greens, horseradish creme-friache
Salt Roasted Beets / Two Helmets Cooking / CC BY 2.0

Kids begging for vegetables might not be as far-fetched an idea as it seems once you try “Beet Candy.” Beets naturally contain a high amount of sugar. Roasting concentrates those sugars and gives the beets a pleasant mouth-feel. Beets are high in potassium, dietary fiber, B-complex vitamins and a number of important minerals, so it’s a food you’ll be glad to hear your kids asking for time and time again.

Beet Candy

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If you never thought your vegetables could satisfy a sweet tooth, think again. Choose small beets for this simple roasted beets recipe or candy beets if you can get them, and enjoy vegetables in a way you never have before.

Servings: 4 (61 g )

Prep Time: 10 min.

Cook Time: 30 min.

Ingredients

  • ½ lb. beet roots, scrubbed and thinly sliced
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil

Directions

  1. Preheat the over to 450ºF. Line a baking pan with a piece of parchment paper.
  2. Put the beet slices in a mixing bowl and toss thoroughly with the salt, thyme, and olive oil. Arrange the slices evenly on the pan.
  3. Roast until the beets are tender and shrunken (10-18 minutes).
  4. Serve warm or cold. Warm, they’ll be crispy like chips. Cool, they’ll be more like fruit leather.